Amidst the business that inevitably comes with a photographer in the fall–the busiest season of all–I’ve found that there is a small sort of routine amongst our home.  We’ve managed to [most days] still sit down and eat as a family, even if that means eating at 4:30 because I have to leave for a photo shoot shortly after.  I help Brayden with his homework as soon as he gets home from school, which has made it become a habit and something that we just plan on doing.  He doesn’t complain about it, though he’s very easily distracted.  We have been packing a lot into our dinner table conversation–mostly we’ve been practicing the kids’ AWANA stuff, which just started last week.  Things are completely overwhelming, when I look at the big picture.  The sheer number of things we have to maintain, do routinely and accomplish in a week are just ludicrous.  Comprehending the fact that I will not get to sit down and relax pretty much at any point in any day is taken a bit more easily if I tell myself–maybe later on you can sit down for a few minutes and read a few blogs you haven’t read in months. . . or watch a show on netflix without trying to juggle three other tasks while watching . . . or just lay on my bed and close my eyes and think about nothing, nothing at all.  And when later comes, and none of those things happen, I just tell myself–maybe tomorrow you can sit down for a few minutes and read a few blogs you haven’t read in months. . . or watch a show on netflix without trying to juggle three other tasks while watching . . . or just lay on my bed and close my eyes and think about nothing, nothing at all.  And then I repeat, and repeat, and repeat.  And that’s how I keep going.  I take it one day at a time.  One hour at a time.  One small chunk of time, at a time.

October will come, and with it shorter days.  I have sessions on almost half of the weekday nights in October–and start time will need to be earlier.  During dinner.  And I won’t get to sit and talk at the dinner table with my family, and practice their AWANA bible verses.  But, it is a short, concentrated popular season, and so by November and beyond, until springtime, I will get my weeks back.  In December, I will get my weekends back.  I try to get through without a spirit of complaining.  It really is a short busy season and we are so thankful for the provision, as it helps carry us through the slower times.  I may be overwhelmed and sometimes paralyzed with my tasks ahead–but I am daily thankful for what that means.

And so remains my routine.  One minute.  One minute.  One minute.  One minute.  One minute at a time.